USPTO Patents Application 10561839

IN THE CLAIMS:

1. (Currently Amended) A chip-device for holding living cells, the device
comprising a plurality of wells,, each well configured to hold a living cell_- a carrier for
said wells, the device characterized in that the insides of said wells prevent loss or
migration of cells during storage, movement, testing and observation, and inhibit or
delay adhesion of living cells thereto.

2. (Original) The device of claim 1, wherein the inside of said wells
comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a gel, a hydrogel,
polydimethylsiloxane, an elastomer, polymerized para-xylylene molecules, polymerized
derivatives of para-xylylene molecules and silicon rubber.

3. (Original) The device of claim 1, wherein said carrier is substantially
made of a material selected from the group consisting of a gel, a hydrogel,
polydimethylsiloxane, an elastomer and silicon rubber.

4-5. (Canceled)

6. (Previously Presented) The device of claim 1, wherein the size of said
wells is changeable.

7. (Original) The device of claim 6, said carrier configured to be
deformable in at least one dimension and that upon deformation the size of at least one
of said wells is changed.

8-11. (Canceled)

12. (Previously Presented) The device of claim 1, wherein said carrier is
formed substantially of a material having an index of refraction between that of water
and about 1.4.

13-17. (Canceled)

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18. (Original) The device of claim 1, having at least one component made of

a gel.

19-21. (Canceled)

22. (Previously Presented) The device of claim 18, wherein the gel contains
water, the water content of said gel being greater than about 80% by weight of said gel.

23-26. (Canceled)

27. (Original) The device of claim 18, wherein said gel comprises an active

entity.

28. (Canceled)

29. (Currently Amended) The device of claim 18, wherein said carrier or a
cover for said device is made of said gel.

30-34. (Canceled)

35. (Currently Amended) The device of claim 1, wherein the insides of said
wells delay adhesion inhibit proliferation of living cells thereto therein .

36-41. (Canceled)

42. (Original) The device of claim 1, wherein said wells are juxtaposed.

43. (Currently Amended) The device of claim 42, wherein the interwell area
between two said wells is less then about 0.35 the sum of the areas of said two wells.

44-47. (Canceled)

48. (Original) The device of claim 42, wherein a rim of a said well is
substantially knife-edged.

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49. (Original) The device of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of said wells
are less than about 200 microns.

50-55. (Canceled)

56. (Original) The device of claim 1, wherein said wells are enclosures of
dimensions such that substantially an entire cell of a certain type is containable within a
said enclosure, each said enclosure having an opening at said surface, said opening
defined by a first cross section of a size allowing passage of a cell of said certain type.

57-67. (Canceled)

68. (Original) The device of claim 1, further comprising protuberances
protruding from said surface between two adjacent wells.

69-73. (Canceled)

74. (Original) The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one wall
protruding from said surface, said at least one wall circumscribing at least one area of
said surface where the points of the top edge of said wall define a plane.

75-85. (Canceled)

86. (Currently Amended) The device for claim 1, A carrier comprising a
plurality of wells disposed on a surface each well configured to hold at least one living
cell, the carrier characterized in that wherein the bottoms of said wells are flat.

87-89. (Canceled)

90. (Currently Amended) A chip-device according to claim 1, for holding
living cells, the device comprising a carrier having a plurality of wellsdisposed on a
surface each well configured to hold at least one living cell.

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the device characterized in that the insides of said wells inhibit adhesion of
living cells thereto and said carrier is made of a material having an index of refraction
similar to that of water.

91. (Previously Presented) The device of claim 90, wherein said carrier is
formed of a material having an index of refraction between that of water and about 1.4.

92-120. (Canceled)

121. (Original) A method of making a chip-device of claim 1 comprising:

(a) providing a template having a negative of features of said surface of said

carrier;

(b) contacting said template with a precursor material so as to create said
features in said precursor material; and

(c) fixing said features in said precursor material so as to fashion said carrier.

122-129. (Canceled)

130. (Original) The method of claim 121, wherein said precursor material is a
plastically deformable precursor material and said fixing said features comprises
separating said template from said precursor material.

131. (Canceled)

132. (Original) The method of claim 121, wherein said precursor material is
an elastic precursor material.

133-138. (Canceled)

139. (Original) The method of claim 132, wherein said elastic precursor
material is a gellable fluid and wherein fixing said features comprises gelling said
gellable fluid.

140-144. (Canceled)

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145. (Currently Amended) A method of making a chip-device of claim 1
comprising:

(a) providing a carrier having a plurality of wells disposed on or in a surface
thereof , each well configured to hold at least one living cell or a specific maximum
number of living cells ; and

(b) forming the inside of said wells to prevent migration or loss of cells therein
during storage, movement, testing and observation, and to inhibit or delay adhesion
thereto of living cells held in said wells.

146-152. (Canceled)

153. (Currently Amended) A method of manipulating cells, comprising:

(a) providing a well-bearing component as described in claim 1 including a
plurality of wells, wherein each well is configured to hold at least one living cell or a
specific maximum number of living cells ;

(b) holding a plurality of living cells in a plurality of said wells;

(c) placing a gellable fluid in proximity with said surface so as to fill said
plurality of wells; and

(d) gelling said gellable fluid so as to form a gel cover.

154-155. (Canceled)
156. (Canceled)
157-177. (Canceled)

178. (Original) The method of claim 153, further comprising:

(e) subsequent to (d), isolating at least one cell by excising said at least one said
cell from said well-bearing component.

179. (Original) The method of claim 153, wherein said gellable fluid
comprises an active entity.

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180. (Canceled)

181. (Original) The method of claim 153, further comprising:

(e) subsequent to said gelling, contacting an active entity-containing fluid with
said gel cover.

182-185. (Canceled)

186. (Original) A method of growing cells comprising:

(a) providing a well-bearing device;

(b) holding at least one living cell in a well of said well-bearing device; and

(c) increasing the size of said well so as to provide an increased space for
proliferation of said cell.

187-192. (Canceled)

193. (Currently Amended) A method of collecting cells from a biological
sample comprising:

(a) providing a well-bearing device, said well-bearing device having:

(i) a plurality of wells disposed located on or in a surface of said device ,
each well configured to hold at least one cell; and

(ii) a plurality of protuberances protruding from said surface; and

(b) contacting the biological sample with said surface so as to remove cells from
the biological sample.

194. (New) The method of claim 193, wherein said wells are formed in said
surface.

195. (New) The device of claim 1, wherein said wells are formed in a surface of
said carrier.

196. (New) The device of claim 1, wherein said wells have a rectangular cross-
section.

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197. (New) The device of claim 86, wherein said wells are formed in a surface
of said carrier.

198. (New) The device of claim 90, wherein said wells are formed in a surface
of said carrier.

199. (New) The device of claim 1, wherein said wells are formed in a surface of
said carrier.

200. (New) A device for holding living cells, the device comprising:

a plurality of wells, each well configured to hold one living cell of a certain type
or a specific maximum number of living cells of said certain type; and
a carrier for said wells,

the device characterized in that said wells delay or inhibit adhesion thereto or
proliferation therein of cells inside said wells.

201. (New) The device of claim 200, wherein walls of said wells are formed of
or coated with a material that delays or inhibits adhesion or proliferation of cells.

202. (New) The device of claim 201, wherein said material comprises
polydimethylsiloxane, is substantially polydimethylsiloxane or is substantially pure
polydimethylsiloxane.

203. (New) The device of claim 201, wherein said material comprises a gel.

204. (New) The device of claim 203, wherein said gel comprises a sodium
alginate solution.

205. (New) A method of making a cell- study device comprising

(a) providing a carrier having a plurality of wells disposed on or in a surface
thereof, wherein each well is to hold one living cell of a certain type or a specific
maximum number of living cells of said certain type; and

(b) forming said wells to delay or inhibit adhesion thereto and to delay or inhibit
proliferation of living cells held in the wells.

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206. (New) The method of claim 205, wherein said wells are formed in the
surface of said carrier.

207. (New) The method of claim 205, wherein the insides of said wells are
formed of or coated with a material that delays or inhibits adhesion to walls of said
wells, or delays or inhibits proliferation of living cells held in the wells.

208. (New) The method of claim 207, wherein the inside of said wells are
coated by applying a precursor fluid to the inside of said wells, and solidifying said
precursor fluid to form said coating.

209. (New) The method of claim 208, wherein said precursor fluidy is solidified
by heating said precursor fluid, or cooling said precursor fluid, or polymerizing said
precursor fluid, or cross-linking said precursor fluid, or curing said precursor fluid, or
irradiating said precursor fluid, or illuminating said precursor fluid, or gelling said
precursor fluid, or exposing said precursor fluid to a fixative and waiting a period of
time.

210. (New) The method of claim 207, wherein the insides of said wells are
coated by depositing a vapor of the material thereon.

211. (New) A method according to claim 210, wherein the insides of said wells
are coated by) depositing a vapor is a precursor material, and ii) solidifying the
precursor material to form the coating.

212. (New) The method of claim 211, wherein said coating is solidified by
heating, or cooling, or polymerizing, or cross-linking, or curing, or irradiating, or,
illuminating, or gelling, or exposure to a fixative.

213. (New) The method of claim 211, wherein the of said precursor material is
a vapor of para-xylylene molecules or derivatives thereof and the layer comprises the
polymerized para-xylylene molecules, or derivatives thereof.

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214. (New) The device of claim 200, wherein the interwell area between two
said wells is less then about 0.35 the sum of the areas of said two wells.